Child safety device for child seat

Abstract

A safety device in connection with a child seat in a shopping cart. The safety device prevents a child, placed on the seat from being able to pull its legs out of the openings formed through the end wall of the shopping cart. The child seat is pivotally suspended from the end wall, which can preferably be swung inwards/upwards in the shopping cart about a horizontal axis, when shopping carts are being stack horizontally. The child seat is placed adjacent to the through opening for the child's legs. Adjacent the openings for the child's legs through the end wall there is arranged an adjustable safety element that can restrict the openings when activated, after the child's legs have been put through the openings.

1. A restraint device for restraining a child occupant of a shopping cart seat having a seat surface with a front edge, above which front edge can be accommodated the child occupant's legs, and having an upright back support adjacent a rear extent of the seat surface, the device comprising:
 an adjustable restraint member being located above and closer to the front edge of the shopping cart seat than to the back support and movably positionable in a vertical direction toward and away from the front edge for changing a dimension of an area above the front edge; 
 a support for supporting the restraint member and having a portion being non-adjustably positioned closer to the front edge of the shopping cart seat than to the back support and in a center region of the shopping cart seat such that the support portion extends between the legs of the child occupant, the restraint member being moveably coupled to the portion to permit movement in the vertical direction along the portion; and 
 the restraint member having a retaining element for retaining the restraint member in a plurality of positions in the vertical direction on the portion, wherein the restraint member reduces the dimension of the area above the front edge to restrict movement of the legs of the child occupant in one or more of the positions. 
 
     
     
       2. The restraint device according to  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable restraint member further comprises a vertical slide. 
     
     
       3. A method for restraining a child in a shopping cart comprising applying the device of  claim 1 . 
     
     
       4. A method for restraining a child in a shopping cart seat of a nestable shopping cart, comprising:
 providing an adjustable restraint device above a front edge of the shopping cart seat being adjacent to an area suitable for receiving a leg of the child and moveably coupled to and supported by a non-adjustable central divider extending between the child's legs, the device being operable to provide a variable dimensional range of the area by positioning the adjustable restraint device in a vertical direction along the central divider; 
 vertically positioning the adjustable restraint device along the central divider to define a first dimensional relationship in the area suitable for a degree of free movement of the leg of the child; and 
 vertically positioning the adjustable restraint device along the central divider to define a second dimensional relationship in the area different from the first dimensional relationship and suitable for reducing the degree of free movement of the leg of the child when the adjustable restraint device defines the second dimensional relationship. 
 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising operating the device over a range of dimensional relationships. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 sliding the adjustable restraint device in the vertical direction to modify the dimensional range of the area; and 
 releasably securing the device in a selected position. 
 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 providing a cross bar member on the adjustable restraint device; and 
 obtaining the dimensional relationship relative to the cross bar member. 
 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising positioning the adjustable restraint device in the vertical direction to define at least a third dimensional relationship in the area being different from the first and second dimensional relationships. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising retaining the adjustable restraint device in a position along the central divider that defines one of the first or second dimensional relationships. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 including a flexible material on the device to contribute to defining one of the first or second dimensional relationships; and 
 displacing the flexible material to change a dimensional relationship in the area when the seat is occupied. 
 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising pivoting the device to obtain the first or second dimensional relationship. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising biasing the device in the first or second dimensional relationship. 
     
     
       13. A child restraint device for restraining a child in a seat, comprising:
 a positioning member arranged to be between the child's legs in a non-adjustable fixed location relative to the seat for positioning portions of the device over a range of locations in a vertical direction; 
 a restraining extension coupled to the positioning member and positionable in the vertical direction along the positioning member over the range to define a restraint area of variable dimension in relation to the seat; 
 a biasing mechanism cooperative with the restraining extension to contribute to maintaining the restraining extension in any one of a plurality of positions in the range; and 
 one or more of the positions of the restraining extension causing the restraint area to have a relatively reduced dimension, whereby the child in the seat is restrained. 
 
     
     
       14. The device according to  claim 13 , wherein the biasing mechanism includes a resilient member to bias the restraining extension toward the any one of the plurality of positions. 
     
     
       15. The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the resilient member is a spring. 
     
     
       16. The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the resilient member is a flap of resilient material. 
     
     
       17. The device according to  claim 13 , wherein the positioning mechanism includes a friction lock member operative to contribute to maintaining the any one of the plurality of positions. 
     
     
       18. The device according to  claim 13 , wherein the biasing mechanism includes a plurality of detents for contributing to maintaining the any one of the plurality of positions. 
     
     
       19. A shopping cart child seat restraint, comprising the device according to  claim 13 . 
     
     
       20. A method for restraining a child in a shopping cart seat of a nestable shopping cart, comprising:
 providing a device moveably coupled to and supported by a central divider extending between the child's legs, the device being moveable in a vertical direction along the central divider to vary a dimension of an area in the seat that receives a leg of the child; 
 vertically adjusting the device along the central divider to provide a larger dimension for the area for receiving the leg of the child; and 
 vertically adjusting the device along the central divider to have a smaller dimension for the area for restraining the leg of the child when the child is in the shopping cart seat. 
 
     
     
       21. The method according to  claim 20 , further comprising movably positioning the device along the central divider in a region proximate to the leg area. 
     
     
       22. A method for restraining a child in a shopping cart seat of a nestable shopping cart, the seat having a back wall and a front wall, the front wall having at least one through opening that is formed as a closed loop for receiving a single leg of a child occupant, the method comprising variably restricting a size of the leg hole opening for receiving the leg of the child. 
     
     
       23. A method for restraining a child in a shopping cart seat of a nestable shopping cart, comprising:
 receiving a single leg of a child in a leg restriction device defining a single leg opening formed as a closed loop; and 
 modifying a dimensional area of the single leg opening defined by the device to increase a restraint on the single leg of the child. 
 
     
     
       24. The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising forming a part of the device with a flexible material that contributes to modifying the dimensional area to increase the restraint on the single leg of the child. 
     
     
       25. A child seat restraint device for use with a child seat having a rear back support and a front edge above which can be received of a child's legs, comprising:
 a support member for supporting a portion of the device and located at the front edge such that the support member is between the legs of the child when the child occupies the child seat; 
 a cross member coupled to the support member and being movable in a vertical direction along the support member; 
 the cross member having a positioning element to permit the cross member to be retained over the legs of the child in a plurality of positions in the vertical direction on the support member to obtain a variable range of permitted movement for the legs of the child; and 
 one or more of the positions being operable to reduce the range of movement for the legs of the child, whereby the child is restrained when the legs of the child are above the front edge and the cross member is in the one or more positions.